Trouble in Paradise: Where Did it Go Wrong for Barcelona?

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2016/17 was a strange season for Barcelona. Dazzling highs and some rather peculiar low points, the season finished with a single trophy in the shape of the Copa Del Ray, second in La Liga and, quarter-finals of the Champions League. For most clubs, this would be seen as a successful season, for Barcelona. It is underwhelming and not considered to be a success. So where did it all go wrong for the Catalan club? What led to the underwhelming season?

One of the major contributions that lead to this season failing to live up to the expected usual standards of Barcelona was poor dealings in the summer transfer window of last season. The club let go of one of their most important players arguably of the last decade in Dani Alves which proved to be a move which would haunt them. Alongside that, they also poorly recruited, Paco Alcacer came in as did Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes, Samuel Umtiti and Jaspar Cillessen. All of which totalled over 100 million Euros spent, of the 5 players purchased only two performed to the expected standard. Samuel Umtiti had an excellent first season and Cillessen was strong enough when called upon. As for Paco Alcacer, he failed to score his first goal until Barcelona played a friendly against Al Ahli in December. Lucas Digne was simply poor, he failed to make an impression even with Jordi Alba out of favour and didn't put in any performances of note throughout the season.

The costliest of the bunch, however, was probably the worst of all. Andre Gomes was a player seen to have a lot of potential. A decent stint at Valencia saw Barcelona spend 50 million Euros on him, snatching him from the clutches of Real Madrid at the last minute. The Barca fans were lauding it in the faces of their rivals, however, by the midway point of the season, they were booing the man they were so happy to see that summer. Gomes put in a string of poor performances and never seemed to nail down a particular position.

When you consider the amount spent by Barcelona in the summer and the lack of impact made by those players, you can see there is a clear problem. Spending big with little reward is not a risk that should be taken. For the new manager, Ernesto Valverde and his board, this season must be one of fruitful investments. Refill the bigger gaps such as Right-Back and bolster the squad with more secondary options. When compared with Real Madrid who spent very little and kept players for secondary options, it paid dividends. Stars were rested and a lot sharper at key points this season.

Image: TheHardTackle

Another problem that Barcelona found this season was a lack of a real plan B. Throughout his three years in Catalonia, Luis Enrique's tactics were often questioned. Early in his tenure, his consistent and sometimes excessive rotation caused issues amongst the club and supporters, however, one of his most questionable tactical changes was during his final season.

Barcelona are a team that were synonymous with midfield build-up. It was the bread and butter of the team, Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets were key cogs in controlling the play and firing the attacks. Though, in his final season at the Camp Nou, Enrique seemed to completely forget the midfield and just aim to play out from the back and fire it to the revered MSN attack force. Understandable to a degree, boasting an attack that is so devastating, it would be foolish not to feed them. Though, there were occasions where they had off days. When this happened, the team looked like they lacked any form of attack. They appeared almost toothless.

With Iniesta no longer to play as consistently, they didn't have the extra option of another midfielder running in. Rakitic has spent the majority of the season in transition between Right Back and midfield and Andre Gomes failed to live up to expectation. Other options? Denis Suarez was hit and miss and Rafinha had patches of great form but was injured for large chunks of the season. Even in attack, Paco Alcacer had floundered and they had no other options. This was hugely evident in games such as the one against Juventus, suffocate and isolate the front three and this Barcelona team will do no harm. Not only was it seen against Juventus but even against lesser sides such as Alaves, Betis and Deportivo La Coruna, just to name a few. This links in with the lack of decent summer purchases and letting go of players who would've made that little difference when needed.

Image: ESPN FC

One thing Barcelona most address in the coming season is a plan B. Cross Country rivals Real Madrid have shown how key the extra gear is, having that extra little gear has seen them escape games where losses looked like nothing but a certainty. If their usual system didn't work, they tried to bombard the opposition in the air, failing that they'd bring on the extra injection of trickery in Asensio, Isco and Morata. If Barcelona wants to compete on all fronts and most importantly, keep pace with a frightening looking Real Madrid, they must form a plan B when their usual game fails.

As cited in the previous paragraph, another issue Barca found last season was dependence on their stars. Messi saved them on many occasions, Suarez dug them out of numerous holes and Neymar spared their blushes a fair few times. However, when that wondrous trio isn't firing, the team struggles. Often looking lost when Messi, Suarez and Neymar cannot find a way to put the ball in the net, the dependence on them has contributed to the season falling flat.

Despite Messi and his superhuman efforts, Barcelona barely made it across the line at times not even making it to the line. It felt as if the aim was to give the ball to him and hope for something magical, whilst that usually may work, there are times it won't. And those times are where titles are decided. Losses to small teams in the league came as a result of MSN not being on their best form. Games such as the ones against Alaves, Depor, Real Betis, Sociedad, Celta Vigo - games you'd expect Barcelona to win 99% of the time resulted in dropped points. Malaga managed to keep them at bay twice and secure a full six points from Messi and Co. Whilst the trio had their magical moments, mainly the 6-1 win over PSG following their 4-0 loss to the French outfit in the first leg, a team cannot simply sit and hope for a bit of luck and a rub of the green every time they take to the field. It showed against Betis where they fell on the hard side of bad luck. Whilst those three can single-handedly win a game, over reliance will also make you vulnerable.

Teams know how to beat Barcelona and that is something that is a recent trend. Historically, Barcelona were a team that were hard to figure out and hard to break. Despite a strong reliance on Messi, they always had a few extra tricks. Again, a plan B.

Image: Bleacher Report

With Enrique now gone and a summer of changes expected, Ernesto Valverde has quite the job on his hands. He must revitalise what is a slightly ageing squad, with a lot of key players now beyond 30, he should take notes from Real Madrid and invest in younger and fresher legs to help preserve those who have held the fort for so long. Valverde is somewhat the safe option for Barcelona. Despite little big club experience, his style suits Barcelona. It was seen at Bilbao that he likes the intense pressing style where players can express themselves as well as ensuring the defence stay firm. Something Barcelona could benefit from. In his 199 games in charge of Bilbao, he won 49% of them and took them from 12th under Bielsa to 4th. Time will tell whether or not he is the right man for the job, though, for Barcelona, testing times lie ahead.